AN: A little tidbit to tide over all the awesome readers. Thanks for the reviews. Sorry that my writer's block isn't responding, but I'm better at least.
Seth leaves Ryan several messages but doesn't get a call on his cell phone until the next Friday.
"Hey."
"Hey. What's going on?" Seth asks, closing the door to his room.
"I've been working my ass off. I've been too tired to check my messages. You and Marissa are the only people that have the number…"
"Then why do you have a phone?"
"Because you and Marissa have the number," Ryan replies.
"You free?"
"I think I'm calling in sick to the shop. I'm dead. If you want to come by and watch me sleep, feel free."
"What if I brought my Dad?"
"What? No."
"Would you meet him somewhere? Neutral territory?"
"Why are you doing this, Seth?"
"Because you should be here. You're Ryan, not Brian. You should be here," Seth states.
"Seth, man…I can't…I can't do that."
"Please. Give me a shot. Meet us somewhere. Anywhere…name something, man, you know you need to do this. You need to make peace. He just wants to see you," Seth pleads.
"I don't know…"
"No cops. Just talk. I promise. I swear to you, Ryan."
Ryan is silent.
"Please."
"There's a pub downtown. It's like a restaurant. I have some friends there so if I need to make a run for it. I trust you, Seth, and I trust Sandy, but…I need to feel like I can get the hell out if I need to," Ryan confesses.
"Fine. Tell me where and we'll be waiting for you. No pressure, though," Seth says. He takes down directions and hangs up. He goes downstairs and finds his parents in the den, watching TV. Sandy looks up, surprised to see him.
"Dad, can you take a ride with me?" Seth asks.
"Where are you taking your father?"
"To a bar. We're going to have margaritas and martinis for St. Patrick's Day…" Seth replies.
Kirsten smirks at him. "That makes just enough sense for me to not ask any more questions."
"Where are we going?" Sandy asks outside.
"To a bar. Seriously. It's a restaurant, too, supposedly, but knowing Ryan these days, it's highly probable that it's a bar," Seth says, unlocking the Rover and getting in the driver's seat.
"He agreed to see me?"
"Yeah. Provided you don't call the cops on him or try and kidnap him or anything all crazy. Do you think you can just talk to him? And let him walk away when we're done?"
Sandy hesitates. "I just want to talk to him. I won't betray his trust or yours. But I hope we can get him to come home with us."
Seth and Sandy find the restaurant and take a seat by the door.
"Am I going to recognize him?" Sandy asks.
"Maybe. His hair's longer. He got more scars…there he is…" Seth spots Ryan entering through a back door by the bar. The bartender stops and talks with him for a few minutes before Ryan spots them. He's wearing worn jeans and a blue t-shirt that Seth had given him months ago under a thin leather jacket. He lowers his sunglasses and gives Seth a questioning look.
Seth waves him over.
"Ryan…"
"Hi, Mr. Cohen. Don't use my name too loud in here," Ryan replies sitting down beside Seth in the booth.
Sandy is clearly controlling himself and his questions.
"You in trouble for missing work?" Seth asks, trying to distract Ryan from his stricken father.
Ryan shrugs. "Apparently I fell asleep under a Civic last night and the boss thinks I need a break."
"You look tired. Seth says you're working," Sandy manages.
"Night and day. Hard work. Helps me sleep at night," Ryan replies.
"Want to tell me about what's been going on? How you're doing? How I can make this right?" Sandy asks.
Ryan smiles slightly, turning to Seth. "Some things never change." The bartender brings Ryan a drink from the bar and Sandy watches the exchange silently.
Ryan glances at him. "I'm not playing at sixteen. I'm jumping ahead a few years for survival's sake." He pulls his shirt down to give Sandy a better glimpse of the scar on his neck. "This is what happens when you play at sixteen."
"So, you're passing for older so you can work," Sandy says, not able to look at the scar.
"That and the whole probation thing…" Ryan mutters.
Sandy nods.
"So. How you been? How's Mrs. Cohen?" Ryan asks quietly.
"Devastated. She thinks you left because of her. Because of something she said…" Sandy starts.
"Hey. I left because of me. I was making everything worse so I left to stop from damaging anything else…" Ryan says.
"You weren't damaging anything. You were trying to do what you had to do to get your life straight. I understand that now. There has to be a way that we can take care of this. Take care of you," Sandy says slowly.
Seth glances from his father to Ryan, startled by the intensity. Ryan is trembling. "I'm going to give you guys a minute," He says, standing up.
"Ryan. I'm not here to come down on you. I want you to come home. I can keep you out of juvie…" Sandy starts, speaking seriously to try and get through to the younger man.
"I don't know…I don't think I can. I don't even understand why you'd even want to see me…I mean…I took advantage of your hospitality…"
"Ryan. We wanted you to stay with us. We wanted to take care of you. Seeing your mother hurt you…just imagine how you'd feel if somebody was hurting Seth and you couldn't stop it."
Ryan meets his eyes for a second and Sandy sees that he has made a little headway.
Sandy sighs. "So. You've got the shakes. Drinking?"
"If I don't drink…I shake. Just like my mom." Ryan snorts. "She's dead now, you know."
"Seth mentioned it. What happened?"
"She was shooting up heroin the last time I saw her. The night I left. I hadn't seen her since. I called Trey and he said she OD'd a few weeks ago. She had lost the house. She was living in her car. Turning tricks to support her habit. AJ's back with his wife." Ryan finishes his drink.
"Ryan, I can't believe all that you've done. You've really made a life for yourself. A new name, a new job…"
"I got an apartment, too. It's not much but it's better than the street," Ryan adds.
"But you know that no matter what your drivers license says, you're still sixteen. I want you to think about coming home…"
"Mr. Cohen…"
"I'm not forcing you to do anything. I'm asking you. Come back with me. You can go back to school. You can be a kid again. You don't have to live like this," Sandy urges.
Ryan glances up as the bartender replaces his empty glass with a fresh one. "Thanks, Joe."
"No problem, Brian," The man smiles. Sandy doesn't look up.
Ryan sighs. "I don't know. I…I don't know…"
"Ryan. How many jobs do you have?"
"Two full time…two part time…I'm managing…"
Sandy holds up his hand, his palm down. "Do this. Hold out your hand." Ryan obeys, curious as to the point. He can't hold his hand level because of his shaking.
"How long do you think you can go on like this? Aren't you tired?"
"God, yeah, I'm tired, Mr. Cohen…"
"Don't call me that. It's Sandy. You have to stop thinking of me as your attorney, Ryan…" Sandy replies.
Ryan sighs, covering his face with his hand. Seth returns, seeing the increased tension at the table.
"Everything's cool, isn't it?" Seth asks.
"Yeah. Sandy's just giving me some things to think about," Ryan mutters.
"Good things?" Seth asks.
"Can I have a few days to think about it? I mean…I have…I have to think about it…"
Sandy nods slowly.
"Thanks," Ryan replies, relieved. Something starts to buzz and Ryan pulls a pager out of his pocket.
"High rolling…" Seth smiles.
"Work. I'll be back. I need to call in," Ryan sighs. He goes to the bar.
"How's it going?" Seth asks his father.
"I think…I think he's going to think about it," Sandy admits.
Ryan returns. "Okay, so I do have to go to work. Big call came in and they need me. But I'm…I'm glad you guys came and I'll think about what you said."
Seth slaps hands with Ryan and Sandy takes the opportunity to embrace Ryan.
"I'll give you a call in a few days," Ryan tells him. "If that's okay."
"I'll be expecting it. Kirsten's going to have my head when I tell her that I saw you without telling her."
Ryan nods. "Sorry. I'll call. Take care."